All through the Scriptures and down through the corridors of history, we see many patterns. Recently we spoke about the patterns of God calling His people into the desert to find life. Of course this, like so many of the patterns we find in Scripture are counter-intuitive. That is because, one is of the flesh , the wisdom of man, and one is of the Spirit, the wisdom of God that confounds man.
I want to speak this morning about one of these patterns. We see in Scripture, when God calls a man or a people, there is always a competing element that comes against that which He has called. We see that with Cain and Abel and Saul and David, Jesus and the Pharisees , the Catholic church and the martyrs and so on. We saw it with Isaac and Ishmael. One was of the promise and the other one was birthed in an attempt to fulfill the promise by human efforts. One of the flesh, one of the Spirit and the flesh would come to persecute the one of the Spirit. We see it again in Jacob. To him was the promise yet he attempted in his flesh to fulfill that which was already promised. Even although there were two brothers in the same womb, and even although one was the elder,and the Scriptures say that there was two nations within the womb of Rebekah, to only one was the promise. Jacob would eventually flee from his rightful place because he feared the vengeance of his brother.
In a vision I saw the Church of God in the depths of a vast desert. In our flesh we avoid deserts. The vision , I suppose, is metaphorical for the narrow path that leads to life. It makes no sense to think that if I was seeking abundant life that I would seek it in the desert. Yet there it was, the church of God, surrounded by a mighty desert. There was no way to the heart of it but by striking out and heading deep into a place where my only resource, in fact life itself, would be God. If He did not go before me I would die, I would never get there. If He is not a cloud over my head then the sun would kill me. If He is not a fire by night then I will surely freeze to death.
There is nothing attractive about the desert. It is not an alluring place, in fact quite the opposite. Lot chose the well watered places and planes of Sodom in which to dwell. It was near a wicked city, but it was plentiful and life was easy there. Yet at what cost? Does the choices that we make have consequences? We may not lose our souls in the process but we certainly can have leanness of Spirit, the very opposite of the abundant life. The cares of this world, the proximity to Sodom, or the ease we have in Babylon certainly factor into our walk with the Lord. Only when asked to leave this place or give it up can we know what hold it has over us. Lots wife would have had doubts, but in the turning round to look back at what she was leaving, the question was answered. The desert was not for her.
Dear sister Lynn writes……………..”truly the weight of his glory was there, and he among us. I can not express just how precious the whole three days were, some very special brothers and sisters drawn together. Blessings, lynn ” This comment is from a dear sister who attended our remnant meetings last weekend.
I would say this would sum up our meetings very well. The weight of His glory fell upon us. From the beautiful still silence of His rest arose a symphony of praise to our God. His presence fell upon us like the dew of Hermon that fell upon the mount of Zion. And just as the Lord commanded the blessing, we found life, abundant life in the river of God that flows from His High and lofty place. There is much noise in the land brothers and sister. There is much professional worship that makes a great noise. In the world’s eyes it sounds great and is somewhat familiar to their ears because much of it is fashioned after the music of the world. It is designed to entertain. Yet, can I suggest, that if the Lord does not inhabit it then it is merely noise and it actually drowns out the small still voice that would whisper to us ” He is beautiful beyond description, to marvelous for words, to wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard, who could grasp His infinite wisdom, who could fathom the depths of His love. He is beautiful beyond description, majesty enthrones above.”
As God gathers His people together, a hush will fall upon their hearts. They will catch their breaths as the King of glory comes in, comes in in all of His fullness. As He begins to flood the dry creek beds with a mighty rushing river then the saints will begin to rise up and minister in the overflow of His presence. There is a fresh wind beginning to blow in the hearts of Gods saints. There is a fountain rising in their hearts. And the source of this fountain is God Himself in all of His majestic glory. And out of this river flows an everlasting abundant love. It fills us with light and this light is the life of men. Look unto God and see what it truly means to live an abundant life in Christ.
For many saints today, as they survey the land and as they walk through many trials and tribulations, it is not always easy to rest in the fact that the Lord delights in you. Today I want to take time to encourage you. You know that in you is a burning word. You cannot keep silent. You cannot relent as others seem to. Even although much of Christendom is mocked by the world and rightly so. Even although the Lord is blasphemed by those of the world because of the low condition of Christianity, God still has a people who cannot remain silent. The Lord says to you today ……………
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who will not always be silent all the day nor all the night; you who remember Jehovah, do not be silent. And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.( Isa 62-6-7)
Brothers and sisters, this is Gods word to us in this day. Do not remain silent even although you may have suffered much for your stand. Continue to come before the Lord and give Him no rest until He establishes and brings to pass His will in His people. God has commanded that we give Him no peace. He has encouraged us to keep coming to Him and praying for the Church, even although as we survey the land we see great desolation. Can I tell you today that God has given us great promises for His own. He says, so it shall come to pass, that the her righteousness shall go forth as brightness and her salvation will be as a lamp that burns. He tells us that we have a crown of glory and that we shall be as a royal diadem in His hand. When the world looks at the church they shall no longer mock or laugh derisively.
How many times brothers and sisters have we heard about sharing the good news? Do you share the good news? What is the good news? If you had one minute or less to share with someone the good news, what would share? Have you meditated on this?
In Luke chapter 3 we see that Jesus is Baptized and that the Holy Spirit comes down and God speaks from heaven. He then enters the temple and stands up and pronounces the beginning of His ministry, quoting from Isaiah 61, He pronounces the good news! Jesus tells us that He has come to heal the brokenhearted! He has come to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to those who are in chains He has come to loose them of those chains. He has come to say that today, right now, is the time to come to the Lord. He tells us that there is a coming judgement but that those who seek Him will find Him and find comfort and joy and a sweet release from great sadness. In fact He says that from the ashes of your life He will raise you up again and create great beauty out of those very ashes. He will anoint your head with oil, meaning that He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and you will run and not grow weary, you will walk and not faint, in fact you will rise up with wings as eagles and soar.
He will replace great sadness with great joy and from an ever flowing fountain that He will place in the deepest parts of your heart you shall be like a well watered tree that is planted by a river. You will be called trees of righteousness because that will be the fruit of He that dwells in the deepest parts of you. And the ruins of your life shall be rebuilt and that which was formerly desolate, perhaps even generations of desolation, shall be restored to what is should always have been.
You shall be clothed with garments of salvation and covered with robes of righteousness. You shall be as a bride who adorns herself with jewels for her husband. And just like a well watered garden, all of these things that the Lord plants deep inside you will spring forth in due season and you will glorify God before the whole world.
Now brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you, but that is good news, that is the good news of the Gospel. This is the message that the Lord brought to the peoples of earth with outstretched arms. And with those outstretched arms He beckons them ” come unto me.” And why does He reach out His arms to the world with this message? “For God so loved the world.” Oh brothers and sisters, can you rest awhile and simply consider those words. For in those words is everything, everything that ever was or ever shall be. Life has sprung forth from those words. The worlds and the heavens above and all of creation here on earth springs forth from that truth. ” For God so loved the world.” Have you shared that love , that truth, that message, that good news recently with those that He loved so much that He would sacrifice His precious Son? Find someone today and tell them the good news.
For those saints who are in the midst of great trials and afflictions, where there seems to be no end, no light at the end of your tunnel, can I an encourage you this day? The Lord’s word says………..
Isa 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
The Lord goes on to say that you will know that He is your Saviour. Of course, as genuine Christians we know that the Lord is our Saviour. We know that He has delivered us from hell and death and sin and has taken us out of the world and into the Kingdom and we praise the Lord for it. Yet, when difficulties arise, when we are overwhelmed by circumstance, often times we lose sight of the fact that he is still our Saviour, that He is still our deliverer that He is still the mighty one of Israel, the Lion of Judah. Yet here in Isa 60 He makes great and wonderful promises. He says that instead of bronze He will give us gold. Instead of iron, silver. Instead of wood, bronze. Instead of stones, iron.
He will literally take each set of circumstance and He will refine them. And with these building materials the Lord will build a wall of salvation and there will be gates of praise. Jesus Himself will be your protector,if you allow Him to be your Saviour. Will you? Will you allow Him to be your Saviour? Will you lay all of your cares and worries at His feet? Will you give Him your circumstances? Will you look to Jesus in the midst of them? If you do, He will surround you and from you there will be praise. You will not remain silent, you will not be contained, you will not be a wall without gates. For you have been designed to glorify God, to make a joyful noise unto Him and to the world. Can the world hear you? Can it see you rejoice in the very midst of your circumstance?
When you walk in this fashion, the word says that you will no longer need the sun to light your way! Nor will you need the moon to light up your night? And why? Because the Lord has become an ” everlasting light,” and God’s glory now rests upon you. And this sun shall never set and ” the days of your mourning shall be at an end.” Glory to God! And you will become a powerful witness in the land. Brothers and sisters, have you spent a season or seasons mourning? Have you wept and lamented over your family, your country, your world? These tears, this heart of yours that has remained steadfast despite multiple trials and the narrowest of paths is rewarded for its diligence. And the reward, the exceeding great reward, is God Himself in all of His glory burning and shining in and through you. Is that what you want? Is this the desire of your heart?
Then as sure as the Word is true, you shall have the desire of your heart. You shall arise with a generation of saints for such a time as this. For God is raising up such a generation that’s only desire, only desire, is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Praise God, we may be living in an ever darkening world, but we have been called to walk in ” eternal excellence,” and in ” everlasting light.”
Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
How many times has this particular Scripture brought hope and deliverance to Gods people down through the ages? I would imagine that every single person who reads this today has experienced a time or times in their lives when the enemy has come in like a flood, come in such a fashion and in the multitude of circumstances that it just simply threatens to sweep us away and drown us in our fears. A time when there is no natural way, no way in our own strength that we could survive and we cry out to God from the depths of the rolling waves that continually wash over us and sap us of our strength until we are so weak that we begin to slip under the water. No way, outside of God Himself that we can survive.
Brothers and sisters, He that has delivered , still delivers. He that has brought joy, still brings joy. He that has brought healing, still brings healing. He that lifts up the hands that hang down, still lifts them up. He that has comforted still comforts. Our God has not changed. The world has changed, the darkness has increased, His name is blasphemed in the land. He is mocked and ridiculed and His children are too but there is a great glory coming. The Lord Himself is coming. The Spirit of the Lord is raising up a standard, raising up a generation of humble and contrite souls who do not presume upon the Lord but fear the Lord their God and come into His presence, trembling at the glory of God. Trembling because they know how priveledged they are to come into that high and lofty place and dwell there with the High and Holy one. And because of this they will shine in the depths of the darkness. Survey the land if you will and see that great darkness has rolled in. Yet look again, there is a standard, there is a great light emerging from the flood of darkness.
Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Yes indeed brothers and sisters, arise and shine. Come together and arise together as the gross darkness rolls in, so that His glory shall be seen by the whole world. Humble yourself and take your eyes off the darkness and look unto the heavens and see where your salvation comes from. It comes from the maker of heaven and earth and the all that ever was. The world cannot see what you have not seen. Have you seen the glory of God? Has it arisen in your heart? Are you this light that shines in the darkness? What causes this light of yours from not being seen? Will you lay it down today? Will you cast everything aside that is not of eternal value? God is seeking such a people.
Psa 60:4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
Psa 60:11 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
Psa 60:12 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Isa 57:15 For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, even with the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Shall we cast our eyes upwards? Shall we lift eyes and holy hands to the Lord our God who is high and lifted up, who dwells in a high and holy place? Brothers and sisters, Christendom has lost its reverence and awe of its most Holy God. We have striven so hard to make known a personal God who has called us friend that we have lost the awe-full majesty and glory that is He. In the above Scripture we see the correct balance. Yes He is high and lifted up, yes He is majestic and glorious and awesome, and I use that word in its proper sense, not the modern word which could apply to a hamburger, I mean ” full of awe,” yet here He dwells with the contrite and the humble heart. And those who dwell there, those who enter into this magnificent court, this throne-room, they are revived. Is there any other way to be revived? And by revived I mean able to run and not grow weary, able to walk and not faint, able to rise up with wings as an eagle in the updrafts of His presence which carries us higher and higher into the lofty place of eternity.
Who else could ” inhabit eternity?” Think about that phrase. Just stop for a moment and think and ponder what it means. It is a place that is outside of time and space. This is where God ” dwells.” We dwell in houses, that can accommodate us, a place where we can fit and lay down to rest. Sometimes we dwell in small houses where we are cramped, other times we dwell in larger houses where we have our own space, but God, He dwells in eternity. Where else could God dwell but in a place that has no beginning neither has it end, it simply is perpetuity. And it is into this place He bids us join Him. Not after we die, now, Jesus says that those who drink of the waters of life shall never die, and so the life that we now live, albeit in this body, shall never end. What life is this? It is the abundant life of the kingdom of God that already dwells in us. You see the above scripture talks about the humble and the contrite spirit. And we know that the spirit within us is eternal and its proper place is dwelling with God in eternity, His dwelling place, a place where He inhabits, just as He inhabits the praises of His people.
Brothers and sisters, there are two competing realities that we struggle with in the flesh. One is the true reality which is the kingdom of God, the eternal, that dwells in us. And the other is the reality of this world and it’s very physical and emotional demands upon us, bolstered by our senses. It takes a very deliberate act to bind the reality of this world, to set it aside, and to allow the reality of the eternal world, the place that God dwells, to come forth. It takes a deliberate focus where we must take our eyes of the things of this world and cast our eyes upon the kingdom of God. What we see with our eyes floods our souls. What do you see? What is you soul flooded with? The cares of this world? Circumstances? Or, in your situation do you see God, high and lifted up? This is spirit and flesh. This is our path of sanctification, taking up our cross, walking the narrow path. To humble ourselves in the sight of God, to have a contrite heart which the Lord loves so that we may dwell and walk in a high and holy place. Come brothers and sisters, He bids you come.
Psa 113:3 From the rising of the sun to its going down, Jehovah’s name is to be praised.
Psa 113:4 Jehovah is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.
Psa 113:5 Who is like Jehovah our God, who dwells on high,
Psa 113:6 who humbles Himself to behold the things in the heavens and in the earth!
Psa 113:7 He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill,
Psa 113:8 in order to make him sit with nobles, with the nobles of his people.
Psa 113:9 He causes the barren to dwell in the house as a joyful mother of sons. Praise Jehovah!
In light of the recent decisions from the Supreme Court and the rapid move of the culture in regard to homosexuality, I thought about kites flying in the wind. I read a piece from one of the local pastors in my area. He pastors a huge Methodist church, somewhere in the region of 20,000 people. A very articulate man, very good speaker and communicator, the kind of man who, if he were not a pastor, would be a motivational speaker. His basic premise is that the homosexual issue is one of culture. That the few Scriptures in the New Testament that refer to homosexuality was basically just placating the culture of the day. He then falsely likened it to the same attitude the New Testament had, in his view, of slavery and the subordination of women. Now, anyone who knows Scripture knows that the New Testament does not condone slavery neither does it teach the subordination of women, so this pastor has created two straw men to support a non-biblical view.
Below is a letter from a sister in Christ, some may relate to her letter………….bro Frank
Has anyone else experienced a terrible onslaught from the enemy lately, even over the past 4 years or more? It has been very difficult for my husband and I. Sometimes it seems like we are going backwards and not forwards anymore, this is quite alarming. Yet when I am feeling despair about the situations we are in, the Lord shows us that He is actually working out refinement, pruning and forming the Character of Christ in us.
We were quite surprised to find out that it was through trials and testings that the character of Christ is formed. I remember recently in prayer I said, “Lord I come to buy gold refined by the fire!” and I clearly heard His reply, “Are you willing to pay the cost?”
“The time is now. Count the cost. You will be persecuted, tested, and tried. You will be misunderstood, hated by the world, and sometimes hated even by the members of your own household. There will be tears, heartache, tribulation, suffering and pain. But, you will be living for the One who is worthy of all, and whose eternal kingdom cannot be shaken nor ever fade away. You will have the privilege of serving the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. Moreover, you will one day have the awesome indescribable experience of seeing His glorious face and hearing Him call you by name as His own.” – brother Brian Long
In an age where there is an assault on the work of Calvary and the work of forgiveness and the ongoing forgiveness that we experience as we pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus down the narrow path of sanctification, the Lord gave me these words below. I pray that it edifies the saints.
SO I’LL PICK UP MY CROSS
Lord let my flesh be crucified
That thou oh Lord be glorified
When they look at me please let them see
Christ my Lord and Calvary
Forgiveness begins
At the foot of the cross
It was there that I gladly
suffered the loss
Of my life, of my sin
Of all that I am
I was washed in the blood
The blood of the Lamb
So I’ll pick up my cross
And follow this day
The Lord my Redeemer
Who alone is the way
Redeemed by the blood
Refined by the fire
It’s the narrow path
That takes me up higher
Higher and higher
And higher to thee
Because of the blood
That has set me free
I shall humble myself
In the sight of my King
He shall raise me up
With the angels to sing
Glory, glory
Glory to thee
Released from my chains
And gloriously set free
And Christ my King
Is still on the throne
He never leaves nor forsakes me
I am never alone
Another night’s begun
But it’s just one more setting sun
Maybe whiskey can unlock the door?
And maybe I can feel once more?
Bottles gone and here I am
A tiny trickle in the shadow of a dam
Might as well throw punches at the moon
Cause there aint no tears flowing anytime soon
Time stands still in the middle of the night
When you drink yourself sober it just aint right
Reaching and grasping for something not there
And your mind drifts back to a childhood prayer
This was a song that the Lord laid on my heart as I walked and pondered our upcoming meetings in Oklahoma in July. My dear sister Mary Greig wrote the melody and sung the song beautifully. May this song represent your heart’s cry to the Lord .
The essence of preparedness can be seen and is highlighted at Gethsemane. This is where the battle of Calvary was truly won. Jesus fought the battle on His knees and by His obedience and willingness to embrace the will of His Father. This is where we too will prepare and will win the battle before it is even fought. It will be on our knees, and with an overwhelming desire to carry out the Lord’s will for our lives, even if it means actual martyrdom.
We must be willing to embrace the cross and all that it means, death to the flesh. Jesus reminded us that if any man sought to follow Him, that man would have to deny himself and pick up his cross daily . It seems that there are men who hate the notion of the cross and would deny this very teaching from the Lord’s lips. Who are these men? Paul tells us who they are ………….
As I was walking this morning, I noticed worms, everywhere along the sidewalk, worms. A virtual feast for the birds of the sky. Yet, by the time I was walking, the sun had been up for a few hours. These worms had all but dried up. I even saw a bird take one of these worms then just drop it and fly away. I am sure the ” early birds,” had feasted on the worms that were fresh and now, later, there was only dried up worms. A poem began to come to my heart.
And the words of Psalm 63. A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
(Psa 63:1-5)
DWELL IN ME
Who takes care of the grass of the field?
You do Lord we must simply yield
Who takes care of the birds of the sky?
You do Lord for you dwell on high
Dwell in the deepest parts of me
Thank you Lord for setting me free
Free to walk and free to run
Free to fight, the battle won
Free o Lord yes free indeed
Free to fight and free to bleed
Free to walk the pilgrim way
Free to walk with you each day
The Lord’s free man, a servant still
Bonded to thee by my own free will
Willing to live and willing to die
For my Lord and Saviour who dwells on high
Come Lord Jesus, come to me
Give me eyes that can truly see
Your glory and your majesty
And we shall dwell eternally
Hi saints. I would just like to inform you that we are having our remnant meetings coming up on July 12-14th at Cornerstone Church in Barnsdall Oklahoma. This church is pastored by Pastor Brian Long, a wonderful man of God who is featured many times on this site. He has a precious flock of saints there in Barnsdall, which is a small town near Tulsa. The nearest location, for hotels and such, would be Bartlesville. Now this church knows something of counting the cost and pursuing God where He can be found. Many of them have come out of mainline denominationalism in their hunger and desire to diligently seek the Lord in the times in which we live.
So brothers and sisters, if you are out there and are hungry and thirsty for the presence of God will you come and seek Him diligently with us? Are you lonely and desire genuine fellowship with the remnant saints? Like minded brothers and sisters who know the times in which they live and know the urgency of the hour and whose greatest desire is to press in close to Jesus. The focus of our meetings will be fellowship , first with the Lord and then with each other, a fellowship that strengthens and encourages us and lets us know that we are not alone. We believe this to be the first of many gatherings of the remnant saints around the country and the world. Our focus in sharing will be the attributes of God, making declarations of His holiness and His majesty, having Him high and lifted up that we may behold His glory.
Location Cornerstone Church 5th Main, Barnsdall, OK
I am so thank full to God for the servants who will be preparing food and also to the brothers and sisters who are working hard to prepare the sanctuary in time for these meetings. It is a beautiful thing to behold servant hearts.
Each whisper, every Godward thought, every word spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. The Scriptures refer to the Lord as “He who sits above the circle of the earth.” And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears. This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer.
Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere.
If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops, if the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through.Pray without ceasing brothers and sisters, it is not a bondage, but a glorious privilege that enables us and empowers us to be overcomers in a dark world that is desperate for the light of love.
I wrote this poem many years ago as I flew into Scotland, a country almost continually covered by clouds and darkness. Of course above the clouds it was brilliantly blue, and below was the usual cloud cover that blankets Scotland. I grew up in a country almost always covered by cloud and mist, and yet here above those very clouds, I was flying in a perpetual blue sky. Just because I could not see it very often from the perspective of the ground, did not mean that beyond the clouds lay a different mostly unseen realm.
EVER PRESENT
BEYOND EVERY CLOUD
I KNOW ITS TRUE
THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT
AND THE SKY IS BLUE
IF WE ONLY HAD EYE’S
THAT COULD TRULY SEE
THAT DESPITE HUMAN CHAINS
WE ARE SURELY FREE
SO DO NOT STAND STILL
FROZEN TO THE GROUND
LET YOUR SPIRIT FLY
IN THE AIR TO BE FOUND
AND WHEN THE DARK CLOUDS
THREATEN TO CONSUME
ALWAYS REMEMBER
THAT THERE’S AN EMPTY TOMB
AND THAT JESUS OUR LORD
REIGNS ON HIGH
AN ETERNAL SON
AN ETERNAL BLUE SKY
A Call To The Remnant 